In today’s episode, Monica and Rai sit down to discuss the concept of the hard bargain – a social refusal mechanic that can improve any game. We talk about what they are, how to use them, and how to implement them in your homebrew or professional design.
Tag: Game Mastering
BXP 05×04-DEEP DIVE: Core Systems Loop
D joins Monica for another Deep Dive! We discuss the concept of a “core system” loop, aka what central concepts make a game’s system tick. We go in-depth into the mechanics of a handful of our favorite games to demonstrate.
BXP 05×03-BXP Talks D&D 4e (feat. David Castro)
In today’s episode, Monica is joined by David Castro of Ink Stained Studios to talk D&D 4e: the good parts, the bad parts, its history, and its impact on current design.
BXP 05×02-Forever GM or Game Ambassador?
Today Monica and Rai tackle the thorny subject of always being stuck in the GM seat. Is that a good thing? A bad one? Neither? We discuss the ups and downs of being the game facilitator and how to feel less anxious about stepping into the role yourself.
BXP 3×05 – Fellas, is it Gay to Play RPGS? Games with Queer Themes
In today’s episode we discuss traditional games with queer themes. We also helpfully define both what we mean by “traditional games” and “queer themes.” Rai gets to flex her literary theory knowledge and Monica gets MORE
BXP 3×04 – Character Death and Why It’s Not Great
In today’s episode Monica and Rai tackle the topic of killing people — err… characters. Yeah. Characters. We talk about why you should and shouldn’t include character death in your campaigns in a variety of MORE
BXP 3×03 – Bonus Inexperience: Dealing with Brand New People
While running, writing, or designing games you will probably have to contend with a rather surprising challenge: new people. This episode dives into a how-to discussion when it comes to making sure new folks don’t MORE
BXP 2×18 – [Live Episode] Design Goals feat. Danielle Lauzon
Monica and Danielle Lauzon (Letters Edged in Black GM, Vampire: the Requiem line developer, Storypath systems developer) discuss making sure your game has goals. What do characters do in your game? What kind of conflicts MORE
BXP 2×17 – [Genre Study] Tension and Release
Here’s the last entry in our genre series: Tension and Release! Specifically, how those things apply to horror and comedy, as well as how you can use these elements to build mood and tone in MORE
MMP#298 – Improv with Doc Palindrome
Hey Folk. Back after the great website debacle of 2018 and with a new website. It’s time to talk improv with Doc Palindrome. He’s got the requisite skills and abilities to talk about improvisation from MORE